The Shippensburg University men's basketball team shot 61 percent from the field in the first half Wednesday night but was held without a field goal in the final eight minutes, as host Slippery Rock handed the Raiders an 80-62 defeat in a PSAC crossover contest from Morrow Field House.
Shippensburg (5-4, 1-4 PSAC) battled Slippery Rock (8-2, 4-1) from the outset, leading for the majority of the first half and trailing by just two points at halftime. The Raiders used a 10-0 run early in the second half to lead by four points, 49-45 with 15:35 to play, before The Rock countered with a 15-2 run to stretch their lead to nine points with 9:17 remaining.
A field goal with exactly eight minutes left on the clock got SU within four points of the lead, 62-58, but Slippery Rock closed the game on an 18-4 run and the only Raider points the rest of the way came on free throws.
Senior
Dylan Edgar continued his extraordinary play with his fifth double-double in nine games, leading all scorers with 21 points (10-of-18 shooting) in addition to 10 rebounds. He scored at least 10 points in each half.
Freshman
Justin McCarthur added 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while senior
Sam Pygatt had a season-high nine points that included a 5-of-6 effort at the free-throw line.
Slippery Rock, fresh off a 68-rebound effort last night against Millersville, posted a 45-33 rebounding advantage. The Rock, notoriously strong on the offensive glass, posted a 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds and had 16 second-chance points to just two for Shippensburg. SRU also committed just seven turnovers and scored 23 points off 14 Raider turnovers.
Whistle-wise, both teams got into the bonus just 10 minutes into the first half (seven team fouls each). After the intermission, The Rock was whistled for just one foul in the first 14 minutes of the second half compared to six for SU. Shippensburg was 12-of-19 (63 percent) from the free-throw line Wednesday night, while Millersville got to the line 37 times last night in a 28-point loss to The Rock.
Shippensburg hosts Edinboro at 3 p.m. Saturday inside Heiges Field House.
